VLADIMIR TRAJKOVSKI – POPAJ: AFTER 30 YEARS, I FINALLY GOT TO COLLECT STICKERS OF THE MACEDONIAN NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS

Who is Vladimir Trajkovski Popaj, more of a football fan or collector?
I would describe myself as more of a football fan who dedicates all his free time to the most important side job in the world. Happily married, employed and passionate collector of Panini football league albums.

What do you think is the best league?
I consider the Champions League to be the best and most attractive league, I have been following it since 1992 and of course the enjoyment is greater when my team, Milan, plays. As a native of Skopje, it is inevitable that I have sympathy for Vardar, and I must mention that Crvena Zvezda is very close to my heart since 1991, a team that I would say is the most deserving that I got so “hooked” on football.

Which national team is your favorite?
I have my favorites in almost every championship, and most often it is the national teams of Italy and the Netherlands, which in my opinion play the most likable football. I must mention that our neighboring countries’ football teams are often my favorites in the big European and world football competitions.

How did you start collecting football albums?
My oldest album is from the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The first album I filled out was from the 1990 World Cup in Italy. I was very young, but even today I remember the excitement with which I welcomed the album and its first stickers. At that time I think there was no child who was not interested in collecting stickers, so exchange/trading meetings were a real experience.

What album are you most fond of?
It’s really hard to single one out. I have a lot of albums collected, but somehow my favorite is the album from the European Championship in Sweden in 1992, in which we were supposed to participate within the former Yugoslav state, but we were disqualified due to the events of that period. My favorite stickers are exactly from that album, specifically the stickers of the legendary football players Darko Pancev and Ilija Najdoski.

How long does the culture of trading stickers, the well-known “have it/don’t have it”, survive in this digital age?
Nowadays, with the latest technology, and especially with the latest applications, the culture of trading the stickers is slowly but surely dying out. However, a bright example and a sign that we may still have kept part of the tradition is the upcoming championship. I think that the fact that the Macedonian national team has qualified and will play in the elite European football association has caused the emergence of a bunch of new collectors. Many of them I am sure will “get hooked” on “I have it/ do not have it” and will have many memories to retell.

I remember 1994 when I gave all the duplicates I had for a picture of Romario. These are moments that are remembered and retold. At that time, in addition to the exchange, there was also a gambling game. Here some were lucky enough, some were left without stickers but definitely in such a game you could hear very juicy curses. Over time, the standard of people in the country was declining, and the stickers were becoming more expensive, so I think that is one of the reasons why there was less and less interest and fewer collectors. That is definitely the main reason why some of my albums are left unfilled.

How did it feel to see the Macedonian national team in this year’s Panini edition?
After 30 years, I got to put stickers of the Macedonian national team members and the feeling is fantastic. In a word, FINALLY! After the release of this Panini edition, there was a big line for a sample copy. I was lucky enough to find one, which was the last one at the moment, at one of the gas stations on the way out of Skopje. It was all thanks to my wife who made me check there.

I have to say that for the first two weeks it was really hard to get stickers, it cost me nerves and time to get them. Once someone snatched the last box of stickers right in front of my nose, so you can imagine how annoyed I was. Now I am at the very end of filling out the album. I am only missing 5 more stickers, which I hope to find as soon as possible, so that I will be able to browse my album in peace until the start of the championship.

What do you think are our chances at the European Championship?
In my opinion and assessment, our chances are not small at all, the fact is that this team really has quality. I think we will do better in the matches with the stronger opponents because the motive for a good game against a strong national team is bigger. I think the hardest game will be against Ukraine, which has a great coach, Andrei Shevchenko.